Box-toe strip pack



April 29, 1930. J. J, DALY 1,756,1i5

BOX TOE STRIP PACK Filed July 21, 1926 Inventor Jollndifla ly any ( I flltorqgl Patented Apr. 29, 193i) UNETE STATES catsuit orsics JOHN JOSEPH DALY, OF WEST NEVTTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ARDEN BOX TOE COMPANY, OF WATER-TOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS Application filed July 21,

In my co-pending application, Ser'. No. 101,348, filed April 12, 1926, I disclosed as part of my invention therein a strip of thermo-plastic box toe material which was bevelled along both longitudinal edges of one face by and during the operation of severing the strip from the sheet of box toe material.

This strip, as such, constitutes a novel article of manufacture and is adapted to be shipped and handled as a unit, thus permitting the manufacturer of the box toe material to ship the strips themselves, instead of the sheets of box toe material as is. now the practice, to the shoe manufacturer, who afterwards dies out the individual box toe blanks from the strips as needed. This results in a considerable saving in shipping space, as well as permitting the product to be handled, packed, and shipped to the shoe manufacturer in a more convenient form.

As above indicated, the usual practice is to ship the box toe material to the shoe manufacturer in sheet form. These sheets vary in length from six to eighteen feet, and are usually from a yard to sixty inches wide. On account of the thermo-plastic nature of the box toe material, the sheets cannot be rolled into cylindrical form and shipped in that manner, being sostifl and brittle as to break when rolled. Consequently, the practice is to stack the sheets flatwise on the floor of a freight can-and to anchor the stack against endwise movement, due to the starting and stopping of the train, by laying on top of the pile a series of longitudinally extending beams which are braced from above by struts nailed to the sides or roof of the car. On account of the weight of the material, a stack of sheets which would fill the car from floor to roof would exceed the deadweight carrying capacity of the car. The railroads, however, require the shipper to contract for an entire car, whether it is filled or not, and hence the unfilled space in the car is simply so much lost space.

Moreover, in transit and particularly in the summer time, the heat tended to soften the sheets of box toe material. If, when in softened condition, the stack of sheets happened to slide along the floor of the car, in the BOX-TOE STRIP PACK 1925. Serial No. 123,882.

starting and stopping movements of the train, the sheets would become rumpled or wavy. WVhen the sheets again cooled, they set or hardened in the shape to which they had been bent, so that the box toe manufacturer had first to again soften and press them out flat before he could die out the box toe blanks.

I overcome all of these objections to prior methods by shipping the box toe material in convenient strip packs instead of sheets as has heretofore been the practice. The advantages of this are numerous and far-reaching. The individual strip packs can be more conveniently handled, packed, and shipped. The consignor can ship in less than ca-rload lots, and the consignee can receive, and more readily store, the shipment. All this results in a considerable saving in time, handling charges, shipping and storage space. Moreover, the shipment is absolutely protected in transit against injury so that the strips reach the consignee in their original undeformed condition, instead of being bent or crinkled as frequently happens with shipments in sheet form.

The manner of pnicticim my invention, together with an illustrative strip pack in accordance therewith, is described and illustrated in the accompanying specification and drawii'igs, and the characteristic features of novelty are particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the box toe blank strips, and Figs. 2, 3, and e are side, end, and plan views, respectively, of a strip pack in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on. the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

I have indicated at- 1, Fig. 1. a strip of box toe material which has been severed from a sheet and scarfed, or beveled along its longitudinal edges 2 during the severing operation as disclosed in my said prior application, Serial Number 101,348.

According to my present invention, a plurality of these strips are assembled as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 by stacking them flatwise one upon the other until a pack of the desired weight is built up. Preferably, the strips are reversed as to each other in the pack as clearly appears in Fig. 2, so that the beveled edges 2 of one strip are matched to those of the next adjacent strips, althoughthis is not absolutely necessary.

The strip pack is bundled, coated, or other- Wise secured and protected for shipment in any suitable manner, and, as here shown, is coated between upper and lower protective members 3 which are bound together with the strip pack therebetween by one or more ties 4; Preferably, the protective members 3 are slightly Widerthan the strips vvhich they are to protect, and hence overlap the scarfed edges 2 of the strips so as to prevent injury thereto. This affords ample opportunity for lateral ventilation of the'pack,

thus to assist in preventing overheating and consequent softening of the strips in transit.

Various other forms of coating may be used. however, so long as the crate itself furnishes the proper protection for the strips themselves and is itself not so cumbersome, bulky, or expensive as to defeat the purposes of the invention. V I

These and various other modifications in method and structure may all be resorted to if Within the spirit and scope of my inventionas defined by the appended claim.

hat I therefore claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent -is Asa new article-of commerce, a shipping pack comprising a plurality of stripsofbox toe material beveled on each longitudinal edge thereof and disposed in pairs With their beveled edges in reversed; relation to each other, stilt protective top andbottom members for the pack and of greater Width than the extreme Width of the blanks thereof, and

a bonding member extending about saidpack anddisposed' across the beveled edges of said strips Without contacting therewith and in protective relation thereto.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN JOSEPH DALY. 

